Kiress
by Aeta Aella
Summary: This is when the four mages are living together near Duke Vedris' palace. A oneshot, about some unexpected guests. Triscentric. Fluffy friendship. No pairings.


-1Kiress

"How long has she been up there now?" Daja asked her foster-siblings.

"An hour." Tris said, not lifting her eyes from the large tome she was perusing.

"At least." Briar added with an eye roll as he lounged on the sofa.

'_Sandry! Hurry **up!**_' The three mind-called in unison.

"Yes?" She spoke, not thought as she regally stood at the bottom of the stairs, resplendent in her hand-made finery. She was in a fashionably cut gown of a pale pink. Her brown hair was twisted into a lovely bun at the side of her head in a new statement and her lips were touched with lip-colour. She had on a gold necklace with a spool of thread on it and a few rings.

"Very nice. Now, let's go. We'll be late." Daja said impatiently. She wore silken clothes, in trader-style as per usual. Sandry had insisted on them being a deep aquamarine colour.

Briar got up, wearing a fine ivory-white shirt and full black breeches. He offered a hand to Tris who stood up, still holding the book with one hand. She wore a long deep gold skirt with a shirt inlaid with elaborate designs. The designs were of Sandry's devising, but not her actual stitching, though they were imbued with her powers to protect against the usual things.

"Oi, CopperCurls, we gotta make nice with these Bags from Capchen, so leave the book here." Briar said with a grin, handing her a bookmark to mark the page. She did so, scowling.

"And why we must, I'll never know. Doesn't Duke Vedris have nobles and such to make good impressions? If they need powerful mages, why us? There's Lark and Rosethorn and Frostbite-"

"Uncle says we have to be there because we're young and powerful. We're well-known too. And Lark and them are working on that big project, remember?" Sandry said calmly, leading the way out of the house and onto the carriage. The foursome bickered amiably on the way to the palace. They arrived, making their way through the palace.

"So then, Evvy decided that it would be fun to see how Rosethorn would react to a frog in her bed, and managed to get my magic onto the frog." Briar said with a wince and an eye-roll.

"Ouch. So then what happened?" Sandry asked avidly.

"It's Rosethorn. Evvy got a taste of her temper." He said with a grin. They all laughed, or at least smiled.

"Presenting the mages Lady Sandrilene fa Toren, Daja Kisubo, Trisana Chandler and Briar Moss." A herald said, and one by one, in the order the herald had introduced them, they descended the stairs, all on their lonesome.

They all bowed to the two Dukes on the pedestal and began to mingle. Tris hung back at first, then sighed and entered the throng of nobles both local and visiting. She wished she could properly escape to one of the upstairs libraries and read, but they had promised the Duke. Tris nodded towards a noble. While her foster sister, Sandry had been hesitant to inform her of where the visitors were from-her homeland, she didn't mind. What were the chances any of the noble guests would recognize the ignored demon-child of the Chandlers? Her thoughts drifted towards the book she had to leave at home, a most fascination guide to-

She was interrupted from her reverie by a hand painfully grasping her arm. "Are you the wench calling herself Chandler?" Demanded a middle aged women in over-frilly silks with a furious look on her face. Her grey eyes flashed. "The House Chandler won't stand for this kind of mockery, not from some young chit who doesn't know better then to offend a powerful house, and thinks pretending to be a mage will save them-"

Her rant was cut off by Tris' winds pulling her away forcefully from Tris. The crowd around them silenced as Tris held her in place. Trios bit her lip. She was actually taken by surprise, though you wouldn't know it to look at her coldly calm face. "I am Trisana Chandler, and have been since birth. From your tirade, I assume you are of the house Chandler." She recognized the women, after a bit of memory searching. Her mother.

"You can't be. Trisana had no magic." Retorted the women, confirming Tris' suspicions and struggling against the bonds of winds. "Let me go you…you imposter!"

"Mistress Mage, please let my wife go. She's just distraught. I swear, we won't be angry, but tell us why you've taken our daughter's name. We swear we will not seek retribution." Said a suave red headed man, stepping forwards.

Briar's temper flashed and thorny vines jumped from a ball he lobbed at the man to twine around him. "Don't dare call her your daughter. You gave up all rights to kinship when you gave her away." He said coldly, stepping up to stand besides Tris.

"Indeed. Is this how you repay our kindness at letting you stay? Assaulting one of our finest mages, in the face of the wrong you have done her?" Sandry declared, looking down her rounded nose at them as she stood at Tris' other side.

Daja stood at Briar's side, twirling her staff. "We take offense to this kind of thing. You two should learn manners when you deal with mages." She said in a chilly manner.

Master and Mistress Chandler were both wordless in their shock. Their useless, demon-riddled child had been-an extraordinarily strong mage? It seemed impossible. It had to be impossible. It must-

"That's enough." Duke Vedris commanded, standing up. "Briar, Tris, let them go. Chandlers, please leave immediately. I do not take well to people assaulting and attacking my guests, or friends of my niece." Briar and Tris grimaced but let go, yet the Chandlers did not move. The winds fluttered around Tris, making her clothes shift, the vine crawled towards Briar and curled around his leg.

"We can not-" Master Chandler began, but was interrupted.

"He said to go. Get out. We'll speak later about your poor diplomatic skills." Said the Ambassador firmly, face set in grim disapproval. Master Chandler began to leave, but the woman, Tris' mother refused to. She looked at Tris coldly.

"Don't use our name, you are no daughter of ours. You are not from our house. You've been disowned."

"Wife!" Hissed her husband sharply as he began to drag her out and away. Tris stood there, face betraying shock for a few seconds before changing to blandness.

"I really do apologize, Duke Vedris, Mages, on behalf of the Merchants Chandler. They're…" The Ambassador began, trying to think of a suitable excuse, but failed. He closed his mouth and shrugged.

"I accept your apology, but must request you send them home immediately, or chastise them in some way." The Duke said, before turning to the four foster-siblings. "I can not ask you to stay in lieu of being treated so poorly. I hope you attend tomorrow?" He asked with a smile.

"We will, Uncle." Sandry said, beginning to leave, with Daja and Briar following her.

"Tris!" Briar said in a low undertone, dragging her with him. "Come on. Don't let them get to you."

Tris glared at him, but let him drag her along. "I wasn't expecting to see them."

"I'm sorry." Sandry apologized. "I didn't know they were there."

Daja frowned. "It matters not. They shouldn't have acted like that. And now they…disowned you." Daja frowned more, the memories of being trangshi were still there in her mind, and not remembered fondly. It had not been a good experience, with no Trader willing to acknowledge she existed.

Tris started to scowl, coming out of the numbed shock. She felt angrier. "Maybe I should show them just why they never should have given me away." She muttered, reaching the hand Briar wasn't holding towards one of her lesser lightning braids.

"No." Briar said, and was soon echoed by the girls. "They're not worth it CopperCurls."

"They didn't deserve you." Sandry declared hotly.

"They still don't and never will." Daja added.

"You're ours." They said, and Sandry forced them all into a group hug with Briar rolling his eyes. Tris calmed down and smiled.

"Yeah. I guess I am." Tris said. The next day, she officially changed her name to Tris Kiress. **KI**subo,to**RE**nmo**SS**. After all, why should the merchant house Chandler profit from her affiliation with her? Besides, why should Briar be the only self-named mage in their group? It only made him more puffed-up. And this way, she was her own self. She was not a Chandler, ot in the least, not anymore. She was truly her friends, truly theirs.

A/N- Okay, got a little fluffy, but I don't mind. This plot bunny has been itching to get out. Kills me how you try and write one thing and something else entirely fights to get out. Anyways, drop me a review and tell me how you liked it!


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